Day 3 - Winchester Mystery House

What I saw:

This tour was my absolute favorite to date (can a field trip really only get better, I thought I would be bored by now).  The house was built in the early 1900’s and embodies the Victorian style Architecture.  The owner, Sarah Winchester, inherited $20 million dollars, and used most of it to build the elaborate home.  The wallpapers purchased were created from linseed and included gorgeous textures and patterns.  The home includes strange staircases, and passageways including stairs going to no where (straight to the ceiling) and doors that exit to the outside upper levels, but no balconies.  No photography of any kind was allowed inside (which was a same, because some of the details within the home were amazing).  I especially loved some of the stained glass windows that were fabricated and shipped from the Tiffany company.  Some of the tilework around the fireplaces were beautifully crafted and colored.  The wood panels including various natural and painted woods that exquisitely captured the essence of the Victorian era. 

What I learned:

While this home was absolutely gorgeous, it lacked any planning and design.  Each night Sarah Winchester would go to her Séance room and have the “spirits” tell her what to build next.  She spent a fortune creating a non-usable house.  While she was exceptionally innovative in her incorporation of modern elements (she included indoor plumbing and electrical, as well as integrated washboards in her laundry sinks), since the rooms were not designed to allow a functional flow between spaces, or proportioned to work for universal design considerations it left many of the rooms unusable and unfunctional.

What I appreciated most:

I am in love with the textural linseed wallpapers that were included throughout the home.  They offered such unique interest and perspective when viewed at different angles.  That in combination with the wood paneling and trim work created unique rooms from every vantage point.  My husband and son were bored after the first 30 minutes, but I was engrossed in the beautiful materials used throughout the home.  I wished so badly that photography was allowed so I could capture some of these items.

Teachers note for future trip:

This was one of the only stops that exceeded my expectations.  It was easy to find, parking was ample (could be that we hit the first tour of the day) and the tour guide was exceptionally knowledgeable about the home and the history.  This was the first day/item I was not stressed and frustrated over.

Images:

First let me say that this was incredibly hard to narrow down to only (5) images.  Since they didn't allow photographs of the interior, these are all exterior shots:

Overall View:

This overall view is a fantastic representation of the form of the house.  You can see the tower (which was built around) and the gabled roofs.  If you look closely enough you can see the spires, and gingerbreading in the eaves.  The roof (and some of the siding) is shingle siding, and the home is beautifully painted in a variety of colors.

Picture #1

This view of the front entrance is one of my favorite images.  I love the dark wood  in contrast with the bead board ceiling.  The stained glass windows were intricately designed, and the Spindle columns (which were superstitiously installed upside down throughout the entire home).

Picture #2

This is a close-up of the entrance to the historic firearm museum.  You can see the shingle siding up close here, and the detailing around the window frames.

Picture #3

This is a view of one of the corner towers that was built.  You can see to the far right that there is a door open with no balcony.  This shows the overall lack of planning by the home owner.  However, next to the door you see another mini turret that projects from the second floor.  The area to the right of the large turret is covered by growing ivy that represents an area of the home that was destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and never rebuilt.

Picture #4

This is a close-up view of another corner turret.  This view shows the gingerbread detailing an the shingle style mansard roof on the lower level.  The porch which is enclosed by columns is a beautiful detail, and this detail was incorporated at a number of locations around the home.

Picture #5

This photo is another view of the "door to nowhere", but I added this photo as it gives a great profile view of the grand balcony at the front of the home.  You can also see the decorative spindles included along the tops of each roof peak, and the unique character and shape of the home.  As my Aunt commented (she viewed this home with us) they don't make homes in these unique shapes anymore.

Sketches:

Sketch #1

This is a little view of a bench on the front patio.  I loved the detail of the background wood how they changed direction in each inset panel.  This also shows how Sarah Winchester had the columns all installed upside down.

Sketch #2

This memorial monument of Sarah's husband and daughter stood out to me.  I am an avid family history researcher and love the historical importance of tombstones.

Sketch #3

No photo's were allowed inside, and the tour moved pretty quickly so I didn't have much time to sketch inside, but here is one in the entryway.  The ceiling had beautiful textured patterns between the coffers that were hard to communicate.

Sketch #4

Again, since we were short on time during the tour, I sketched one of the stained glass windows in the home.  Supposedly, no one knows what the words mean.

Handouts and Flyers:
Click here for the brochure of the Winchester Mystery House
Click here for the ticket stubs